Electron emission devices are components of a large number of optical, electronic and optoelectronic devices including the rapidly developing class microelectromechanical (MEMS) and nanoelectromechanical (NEMS) devices. Cantilever based technologies, for example, often include an electron emitter device component to access a range of important device functionalities including sensing, microscopy, information memory storage and micro- or nano-scale actuation. The following patents and patent publications are hereby incorporated by reference and relate generally to cantilever-based MEMS and NEMS systems for sensing, imaging and actuation applications: U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,677,088 and 7,928,343 and US Patent Publication Nos. 20090056428, 20090139340, 20110061452, and 20110078834.
Important to the continued advancement of MEMS and NEMS-based technologies is the development of electron emission devices capable of providing emission having accurately controlled spatial, temporal and energetic characteristics over a dynamic range useful for important device applications. Electron emission devices are needed, for example, having enhanced emission attributes to enable the next generation of electron microscopy and nano-characterization instrumentation. More specifically, electron emission devices and components are currently needed, for example, that are capable of providing useful electron packet sizes (e.g., <1 pC), electron source emittances (e.g., <0.05 mm-mrad), pulse lengths (e.g., <1 ps), and pulse repetition rate (less than 10 MHz). Also needed are electron emission systems compatible with useful MEMS and NEMS device form factors (e.g., device size <100 μm2 and power consumptions (e.g., <10 mW).
As will be generally recognized from the foregoing, advanced electron emission devices and components are needed for the continued development of a wide range of electronic devices, including MEMS and NEMS-based systems. Specifically, electron emission devices having enhanced emission characteristics and capable of implementation in useful device formats, such as cantilever-based systems, are needed. In addition, electron emission devices and device components are needed that are compatible with efficient device integration in miniaturized form factors and in array formats.